World: Thousands Commemorate the Charlie Hebdo Attacks

In the wake of the January 7 terrorist attacks in Paris, approximately 700,000 people are said to have taken part in marches across France. The marches were held in cities including Paris, Orleans, Nice, Pau, Touluse, and Nantes in order to commemorate the victims of the deadly attacks. Seventeen people were killed in attacks on the satirical French magazine Charlie Hebdo, police officers, and a kosher supermarket. Police are still hunting for accomplices of the three gunmen, all of whom were killed by police. The country remains on high alert with Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve promising “exceptional measures” for a massive unity march in Paris on Sunday in order to ensure the marchers’ safety. The attacks were an action of protest against the satirical magazine for constantly publishing images of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad. At a rally in the Place de la République in the wake of the shooting, Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo said, “What we saw today was an attack on the values of our republic, Paris is a peaceful place. These cartoonists, writers, and artists used their pens with a lot of humor to address sometimes awkward subjects and as such performed an essential function.” She proposed that Charlie Hebdo “be adopted as a citizen of honour” by Paris.